Tanner's Tales: I Don't Know
by retirw
Summary: A new preacher is in town and Vin has a few things to deal with.


**I Don't Know**

Four Corners

The Saloon

Vin Tanner sat down at the table with the morose Sanchez. "I'se headin' out ta tha Overlook 'fore dawn. Be a right fine place ta spend Easter mornin'. 'Preciate it iffen ya'd join me. Seem's an almighty shame ta waste such hard work as yah done on that sermon. I'd like ta hear whatcha had planned ta say." Tanner offered softly.

Josiah looked up with a scowl. "I don't need any symp . . . " Sanchez's voice trailed off as he meet the sincere face looking back at him. "It's not even as if I'm a preacher anymore," Josiah sighed ruefully. "Of course decent folks have jumped all over the idea of having a real preacher give the Easter service. God must have answered a few prayers seeing that the Rev. Coleman and his family got stranded in Four Corners this week."

"So you gonna waste them fine words?" Vin asked gently.

"You should go to service, Son," Josiah chided.

"Reckin I'm like them Samaritans yah tolt me about a spell back. I talk with Father God tha best when the only roof over me is his," Vin huffed. "So's yah ridin' er not?"

"You were out of your head with fever when I told you that story," Josiah answered in amazement. "Guess a man never knows when his words will fall on fallow ground. I believe I will join you," Josiah smiled.

"Tha church looks mighty fine. All that polished wood gleamin' in tha candle light. Yah done mighty fine work," Vin complimented. "Rekin Father God's real pleased."

"Thank you, Vin," Josiah responded, his mood lifting.

"I got ta confess ta somethin'." Vin ducked his head.

"Confess? Vin I can't take confession, I'm not a priest," Josiah reminded.

"I moved one of yer pews," Vin played with his beer stein.

"Moved one of my . . . . Whatever for?" Josiah asked curiously.

"Well Ole man Conklin was going on about how it's a man's lot ta suffer. That yer sermons wasn't no good 'cause yah didn't preach on how everybody's goin' ta hell and such," Vin explained looking up.

"Every man is entitled to his opinion. Vin . . . why did you move the pew?" Josiah got a giddy feeling.

"Yah know that pew yah had back in the storeroom?" Vin asked sheepishly.

"Yes, it's got that split in it. Pinches a man after he sits there awhile," Josiah noted.

"Mr. Conklin, he always takes that seat right up front now don't he?" Vin flashed a mischievous little boy grin.

"Vin Tanner, you didn't," Josiah tried to hide the amusement in his tone.

"I rekin tammara' ole Conklin' gonna be sufferin' fer his religion. That preacher man strikes me as tha kind what likes tha sound of his own voice." Vin chuckled.

"I guess we both are going to be sanding some window frames for penance," Josiah chuckled.

"Be worth it," Vin grinned.

Relieved looks crossed over the rest of the regulators faces when they saw Josiah's wide smile and chuckle.

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"Now I wonder what Vin said? Josiah looked to be set on a drinking binge. I figured I'd be patchin' idiots up tonight and Josiah'd be spending Easter in jail," Nathan said in relief.

"Are you going to Easter service?" JD asked uncomfortably.

"I already promised Mary I'd escort her and Billy before Coleman came to town," Chris answered in his soft voice. The look on the shootist face making it clear how he felt about the change in pastors.

"It's Easter. I promised my momma I'd be in the Lord's house on Christmas and Easter," Nathan sighed.

"I don't want to hurt Josiah but I'm supposed to sit with Casey and Ms. Netty," JD said.

"Josiah will understand, Son," Buck soothed.

"What about you, Buck?" JD asked.

"The reverend Mr. Coleman has made it plain I'm not welcome in God's house as long as he's here," Buck snorted.

"Ah, then I have company as a Pariah," Ezra drawled dramatically.

"Rekin I'll do rounds come morning," Buck said thoughtfully. "That'll give JD time to get spiffed up for sparkin' Casey."

"Buck!" JD barked with a flush of embarrassment.

"I have rounds until dawn, Gentleman. Rest well," Ezra stood and up made his way over to Vin and Josiah to bid them good night before saddling Chaucer.

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"Good Evening, Gentlemen," Ezra Standish spoke to Josiah and Vin. "I wish to bid you adieu before starting my rounds."

"Josiah said he'd ride out wit' me ta tha Overlook, so's we can greet tha mornin'. You'll be passin' 'bout then. Iffen ya'd care ta stop by ya'd be most welcome," Vin offered.

"Mr. Sanchez, will you be saying a few words in acknowledgment of the resurrection?" Ezra asked softly.

"Vin has asked for me to give the sermon I had prepared," Josiah smiled sheepishly.

"Then I most certainly will be joining you." Ezra smiled, touched his hat brim and exited the saloon.

"Now isn't that a surprise," Josiah muttered in disbelief.

"Senor Vin, Senor Josiah, I could not help but overhear. May I attend service with you in the morning?" Inez asked softly.

Josiah blinked in shock.

"I'll have a horse saddled fer yah, Ms. 'Nez," Vin answered.

"Thank you," Inez smiled happily and started gathering up empty glasses.

"Vin?" Josiah scowled.

"Rekin tha Rev. Coleman don't figure Ms. 'Nez belongs in a church what with her workin' in tha saloon," Vin huffed.

"Hey what did you say to perk Inez up? She was moping around here like her dog died and now she's as bright as a new penny," Buck Wilmington sat down and poured himself a beer from the pitcher on the table.

"'Siah's gonna say his words out at tha Overlook come dawn," Vin answered. "Ms. 'Nez is goin' out wit' us."

"Now that's fine. Hell, I might even join you. I'll talk to Chris about coming on duty a little late in the morning," Buck stood up and walked back over to Chris, taking his beer mug with him.

"Looks like yer gonna have a congregation after all, preacher," Vin smiled warmly.

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The Overlook

Josiah, Vin and Inez rode out in the chill dawn.

"It's gonna be a beautiful day." Vin took a deep breath.

"It will be most welcome. The cold and wet have kept everyone inside for months," Inez sighed. "I have been expecting a bar fight anytime. Just from the cabin fever."

"Been expecting a blowup myself," Josiah agreed.

"Sister, I'm curious; why did you pack saddle bags for all of us?" Josiah patted the stuffed bags laying across the cantle of his saddle.

"I thought I would prepare breakfast afterwards, I have brought everything necessary." Inez smiled. "I also have the cabin fever. It will be good to be outside."

Vin stopped his horse and looked back toward town with a concentrating look on his face. "Now that ain't something yer gonna see jist any day," Vin laughed.

"Brother?" Josiah tried to catch what had alerted Tanner.

"Bucklin is comin' this way wit' a whole wagon full of his 'Ladies' and they's kids." Vin answered calmly.

"What?" Josiah blinked.

"It is Easter, Senor Josiah," Inez reminded.

Vin shook his head and smiled faintly. Ezra Standish had gotten there before them. A fire with a pot of coffee waited for attention. Nettie Well's wagon stood off to the side.

"Miss Casey will be borrowing Chaucer to join her paramour for Easter Service. Ms. Wells has determined she would rather join our little circle of saints." Ezra greeted them, helping Inez to dismount.

"Not exactly how you intended to spend Easter Morning," Josiah looked over at Tanner.

"This'll do me fine, preacher," Vin called back as he lead the horses off.

By one's and two's, another couple of wagons full of people all rode in to join the service. Some cowboys, a solitary trapper, a miner or two. Several of the local families ended up at the Lookout. Most had been heading to Four Corners but decided to stop here instead.

The strange congregation spread out over the rocky ground finding seats and settled in. An anticipatory silence fell over the group as the sun crested. Voices rose spontaneously in a hymn of joy. Then Josiah began to speak. He read the account of Jesus' crucifixion, his burial, the women at the tomb and the empty grave. A heartfelt simple sermon on the wonder's of God's love and his efforts to reach out to the lost.

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Vin handed Josiah a biscuit while looking over the good sized group. "Yah got any fishes preacher?"

"No, but I have a feeling this morning the Lord will provide," Josiah laughed softly. Sanchez blessed the bread and broke it handing the pieces to Vin and Inez.

People produced the bits of food they had carried with them this morning. Nettie and Inez shuffled coffee pots and skillets over the much larger fire as they cooked for everyone. Children laughed and ran, greeting everyone. Squeals of wonder filled the air as one of the children discovered a brightly colored egg. And the Easter egg hunt was on in earnest.

"Now where did those come from?" Josiah wondered aloud.

Buck rode out on patrol, leaving Ezra in charge of seeing 'his' ladies got back to town.

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Four Corners

It was well after midday when the rag tag group rode back to town arriving just as the church doors opened and freed the congregation.

"Glad I stopped with you this morning Josiah," Nettie huffed. "These old bones aren't ready for four hours of pew sittin'."

"Good Heavens! Those poor children locked inside on such a beautiful morning," Ezra empathized.

"Uh, oh," Josiah winced. The freed children raced down the side walk. It was never clear what had started the chain reaction that Easter, the results were unarguable.

Vin simply answered 'cabin fever' whenever he was asked.

In the blink of an eye laughing children were in the street in their Sunday finest. Billy Travis, Miney, Yosemite's boy, both of the Potter children and several others played in the mud. Parents fumed and jerked children onto the boardwalks demanding "Why?" only to be greeted with tearful "I don't knows."

"'Siah, you circle round and herd 'em this way. I'll git 'em settled along in front of the bath house. Ez, kin yah find Mr. Li and see iffen we can git him to open up fer baths?"

Soon the filthy, grubby children sat tearfully all down the edge of the boardwalk. Angry mothers gathered. Frustrated fathers stood by.

"Looks like Easter's gonna be ruined fer them little folks," Vin sighed. Walking out into the street Vin plopped down in the mud facing the children bringing shocked looks to their faces.

"Mr. Vin?" Billy Travis asked faintly. His tear stained face had mud all down one cheek and his new jacket had muddy hand prints.

"Rekin it's tha curse?" Vin asked with a smile.

"What curse?" several wide eyed kids demanded.

Adults exchanged glances and waited for the normally silent man to continue.

"'Minds me of the first children what done wrong." Vin sighed.

"They were bad?" a little voice asked.

"Rekin so," Vin answered seriously.

"Was their Pa real mad?" Miney, Yosemite's third son, asked, looking tearfully toward his father.

"Yep, he sure was. He loved 'em though and it hurt him somethin' awful havin' ta punish 'em," Vin sighed.

"Oh," soft voices whispered.

"Could you tell us the story?" Billy Travis asked.

"Didja know Father God likes ta play in the dirt? Vin's eyes danced.

Rev. Coleman opened his mouth only to have Chris Larabee step on his foot and give him a dark look. The man wisely decided not to reprimand the Tracker.

The children's eyes widened and the adults frowned.

"Yep, God made Adam outta the dust of the earth." Vin nodded to himself.

Josiah turned his back to hide his smile at the aptness of Tanner's tale.

"Well, Adam got lonely so's he asked God ta make him a friend," Vin continued.

"Eve, God made her from his rib," a little voice interrupted importantly.

"That's right, and he put 'em in this beautiful garden. And he give 'em one rule. Just one thing they wasn't suppose ta do." Vin told them.

' "Don't yah eat tha apples offen that tree. Yah kin have all tha cherries and peaches. Them sweet plums, they's grapes and such. Yah kin even have tha apples offen those trees over yonder. These apples is mine and yah ain't ta mess wit' em. Yah understand me now?" God asked 'em.

"Yes sir, they says. We ain't ta mess with them apples," Adam and Eve answered him.

"Well low and behold it weren't long before God come ta visit and Adam and Eve hid from him. Well God called and they finally come out of tha bushes, tryin' ta cover theyselves wit' leaves.

"What are you doin'?" God asks 'em.

Adam sidled up close and whispered. "We's coverin' up. We's nekid."

"Who tolt you, you was nekid?" God demanded.

"We knows," Adam ducked his head and drug his toe in tha dirt when God frowned at him.

"Did you eat my apples?" God asked a might sharp.

"Yes, Suh," them two answered, a-fidgittin' somethin' awful.

"Didn't I tell you not ta eat MY apples?" God raised his voice a might and the earth shook.

"Yes, sir."

"I gave you one thing, just one thing that yah wasn't suppose ta do. And yah done it anyway. Why'd you eat mah apples?" God glared at 'em. '

"Does yah know what them two answered fer tha very first time?" Vin leaned forward conspiratorially.

"No? What did they say?" the children asked curiously.

"I don't know," Vin said sweetly.

Chris Larabee stepped into the alley to suppress his chuckle. Josiah kept rubbing his chin and covering his mouth. Grudging smiles began to twitch several of the parents lips.

' " 'Yah don't know'. What do you mean, yah don't know? Yah has got ta have some reason to have disobeyed me." God says. "So what is it?"

And Adam and Eve peeked up at him and says, "I don't know."

Well Father God throwed his hands up in the air and stomped around a bit. Pulled on his whiskers a mite. "Oi . . . Children!" he says, "What am I gonna do wit' yah?"

"I don't know," them first children says.

"And then God started it. That curse that's stuck wit' folks ever since. Ma's and Pa's curse they's own children wit it."

Vin shook his head sadly.

The children and adults shifted uncomfortably.

"God looked down on them children an' He says, one of these days yer gonna have a dozen kids and I hope they's just like yah. They's gonna do some almighty stupid things and when yah ask 'em why didja go and do that they's gonna say I don't know and I'm gonna smile."

Rueful chuckles filled the air. Tiny walked over and hoisted his son onto his hip. "Looks to me like you can't get much dirtier. Yah might as well go look for eggs with the rest of the kids."

Nods and grudging smiles sent the rest of the culprits off to hunt eggs.

"Cursed," Josiah chuckled lifting Vin out of the mud and swatted his backside.

"Hey," Vin protested.

"Go look for eggs," Josiah ordered.


End file.
